A Lesson In Punctuality
by Space and Sound
Summary: AU. Back in Erebor Thorin accepts the challenge of teaching to a select few the importance of being prepared. Who better than the king himself to do this task? However, he's caught by one of his pupils doing something rather improper… Thorin/OC
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys! Hope you guys like this new story and with a rather different plot, I can promise you that ;)**

**ALERT: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS REFERENCES TO SOME M SCENES. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK :p**

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If someone even bothered asking Kalea what she thought about these lessons she'd merely frown.

Kalea considered herself a very patient girl even though she had just reached her twenties and most of her people still saw her as a little girl who still had much to learn. And yes, she had.

Kalea was a pale girl whose almond eyes where characteristic of her family. For a girl whose stature was below average, she always seemed to managed herself when it came to helping her father deliver some errands throughout the kingdom. She wasn't exactly considered pretty and she blamed her freckles and her height for that.

Her auburn hair danced along the mild breeze as she made her way into the training grounds. There was a crowd gathering by the wooden railing and she recognized her 'training' group.

"It is not usual for the king to be late, you know?"

"Well, there must be a good reason. It has only been half an hour," Thrung simply said. He was the older than any of his companions and apparently the only one trying to reason.

Kalea's group consisted of ten young dwarves who had been selected among some noble dwarf families to be a part of some sort of challenge to the king, Thorin Oakenshield. None of them knew much about this from the start. All of them received a letter signed by both the king and his loyal friend Balín and it demanded that they presented themselves alone in the training grounds the next day at midday.

Her mother, as always, immediately said it could be so much talked about search for the king's companion. Nothing would please her mother more than to have one of her 3 daughters marrying the brave and good-looking king under the mountain.

However, her father immediately threw his wife's hopes back to the ground by saying that this was supposed to be some training destined to some noble families younger ones. Kalea being the first child was to represent her family.

Her parents warned her more than once to mind her tongue and to not talk back as she had a bad temper. In fact, Kalea decided to take this advice seriously seeing that she had quite the reputation of defying Thorin's nephews of a daily basis.

She leant against the railing and merely watched in silence as they debated whether or not they should send someone to look for the king. The group was formed by 7 boys and three girls and all of them had promising futures. Well, not all of them, of course. Kalea thought her temper would hardly get her anyway.

Her gaze crossed with Friga's.

Friga was the only noble girl in Erebor whose beauty had been acknowledged even by the king himself and for that she behaved like this was a lame excuse for Thorin to get to gaze upon her. Her eye color was what drew more attention for they were a bright shade of green and some men even said she possessed the ability to read one's thoughts. It was stupid, of course. That long blonde haired girl was as useless as a plank but her beauty allowed her parents to be in the spotlight as the makers of Erebor's finest emerald.

Kalea inwardly sighed as she diverted her eyes from that girl and looked at the lake that flowed beneath the training grounds. She threw a tiny rock at it and watched as ripples began to form where it had landed.

"Maybe he forgot," a rather chubby boy mumbled. "Someone should go check the armory."

"Why the armory?" Thrung inquired raising a furry brow at the tiny boy.

"I saw him get inside on my way here," he shrugged, leaning along the railing next to Kalea. "The king has a lot to do. This might have slipped his mind."

Some heads nodded along his statement. The fact that no one offered to go look for the king didn't surprise her in the slightest.

Suddenly everyone seemed too busy looking at a random tree or at some women who carried some cabbages to the market nearby.

"It is no problem," Kalea grunted as she began walking away.

"I'll go with you," Friga's voice invaded her ears and she rolled her eyes. _Of course_.

The blonde girl didn't have the courage to actually take the initiative all by herself. Kalea didn't even bother halting her steps. "Don't even think about it, _princess_. You can stay."

Seeing that Friga did nothing more than to call her idiot, she resumed her pace with no hurries.

It was bot well seen amongst the costumes of her people someone being late and it only made things worse that that someone was the king. As far as she knew, he was a very punctual man and only when in dire need would he choose tardiness.

The armory was a pretty isolated locale and only few had permission to enter it. Kalea reckoned the amount of weapons inside it were far too valuable to be played with. Usually, there were two guards guarding the only entrance, but this time there were none.

She briefly looked around to see if they were nearby, but they were nowhere to be seen. That alone was strange enough even though the door was closed.

The girl approached the large building and wondered for a moment how to approach the king without sounding inappropriate.

The front window was slightly open so Kalea took some steps and was ready to knock on the door until she heard some noises coming from inside.

Her eyes drifted to the window nearby and she paced a bit to the left just enough to allow her to take a look inside. The sound turned into some groans and she immediately thought someone was injured.

Just as she was about to call the king, she froze.

There was no need to call for him as he was right in front of her pretty much naked and with a woman pressed between the wall and his body. It seemed that they were too much involved in what they were doing to actually notice Kalea who was just a few meters away.

Kalea had never seen something so intimate as this in her few years of life and it disturbed her. Love-making was a taboo and most of dwarves only came in touch with it after their wedding and to fulfill the matrimonial duties. Of course, most men had had contact with these intimacies some taverns across Erebor where some women gained their lives offering her body. Some even paid debts doing _it_.

She didn't consider herself a prude or anything like that and she wasn't scandalized. If anything, she was mesmerized by the act itself.

It was obvious Thorin liked to dominate for he didn't even allow the woman to squirm much against his shape. The way the muscles on his bare back flexed as he kept ramming into her was quite exquisite. Apparently, she was the source of those groans that quickly turned into drawled moans as her face was pressed harshly against the wall. The king's hands were placed on her hips and kept the scarlet skirt from dropping.

There was not much of his face that Kalea could see and she was thankful for that. She preferred looking at that scene not having the image of the king in her mind. Next thing she knew, the woman was crying "My king!" so loud that she was forced to hide her head afraid that he might see her peeking through the window.

Honestly, if Kalea had a shred of self-respect she would just go back and tell everyone she didn't find him. She knew she should leave, but now was too late for her to move. A beam of sunlight entered the room and gave her vision of what was hidden in the shadows.

His face held an expression that was a mixture of pleasure and concentration. Thorin was now pounding faster and faster as he placed a hand in her mouth to prevent her from bursting.

Kalea shook her head slightly and realized she had lingered for too long.

Just as she was ready to take a step back, her right foot knocked some hammers that had been resting beside her. The sharp noise was enough for him to notice her.

His dark blue eyes shot in her direction and Kalea just froze in place.

If she thought this would make him stop what he doing she was wrong. This only made him speed up his movements as his hand fell back into the woman's hip keeping her in place and it only made her cry out even more.

She felt her cheeks grow red with shame and took a last look at the king before turning away as quickly as a hawk.

Even though it wasn't a hot day at all, sweat came out from every pore and the sudden realization that she had just caught the king under the mountain doing _it_ with some random woman…

Kalea considered the hypothesis of just go back home and say that she was done for the day, but she knew her father would soon know the truth. The most humiliating thing was that he had seen her. His eyes had been locked onto hers even if only for a few seconds. She wasn't able to tell if he was angry, but she guessed he didn't even bother.

She forced herself to stop for a moment as she tried to brush those images away from her mind. A few moments ago she had just caught the king in such a vulnerable position that every effort she made to remind herself all those tales and wonders people spoke of him was in vain.

The almighty Thorin, son of Thrain, was a legend to live up to. Every young man wanted to be like him and every young woman wanted to be with him. He had a lion heart and an unbreakable spirit that had won him Erebor back. The glory days were far from over for danger would find a way to torment them.

"I'm a dead woman," Kalea spoke vaguely as she placed a hand on her burning cheeks and hoped it would fade away before she reached the training grounds.

On the way, she almost tripped twice and almost knocked an old man who threatened to tell off her parents.

She only realized she had arrived to spot when Thrung's hand grabbed her arm roughly. "Well?"

Kalea looked at the faces staring at her with curiosity. She really hoped her blush had faded. "The king is on his away."

The other girl, Fenna, looked highly suspicious. "Why are you all flushed?"

"I tripped," Kalea said, not inviting the girl to continue the conversation.

"What held him?" Some boy, whose name she couldn't remember, asked plainly.

She took some time to figure out some decent answer. What if the king told them a different justification? "He was just taking care of some things."

Rather _someone_.

"Welcome, young ones!"

No one seemed to have noticed Thorin approaching, but has soon as he spoke everyone bowed slightly as respect. Kalea's bow was more accentuated than the others'. This way there was no way he'd recognize her just yet. When all of them regained their poses, she made an effort to stay just behind the tallest boy, Orek.

"I must apologize for my tardiness," he went on cheerfully. "Some matters had to be taken care of."

Kalea couldn't even see his face and hoped to maintain that for as long as possible. However, her weird attitude was noticed by Friga, who stood next to her. "What are you doing? It is a disrespect not to look at our king's face when he is addressing us."

Right now, Kalea couldn't care less about etiquette. But… "What is the matter back there?"

So much for discretion. Friga immediately seized it as an opportunity to make an impression on him. "My king, I am sorry for the disrespect. It is very usual when it comes to Kalea."

"Who might that be?"

Well, at least he didn't know her. However, she knew that she had to stop hiding. She took long steps until she was side by side with Friga. "It is me, my king."

Unfortunately, she couldn't help but to feel her face burning hot with humiliation as she saw his eyes wide slightly at the sight of her. Kalea still hoped he hadn't quite seen her face, but she acknowledged by his expression that he had not forgotten the person who had just momentarily seen him naked. Well, from the waist up, at least.

She expected his face to twist into hanger or amusement. But no, he simply smiled lightly at her and it made her feel uncomfortable. "I do know your father, yes. Good man. However, I must admit your face is not totally unfamiliar to me."

The innuendo was there. Kalea decided to ignore that. "He is a good man, yes. Thank you, king Thorin."

Every single face was fixed on hers. To an outsider it might seem that she had made quite an impression on the king and that was good. Above all, Thorin was a very hard man to please and Kalea wondered if that woman had been able to do so.

"King Thorin, will you tell us what we are doing here?" Someone asked, his voice trembling a bit. Yes, Thorin demanded respect above all.

"Yes, young Brond," he quickly answered and then pointed at a forest just behind them. "Shall we move closer to the forest?"

Everyone nodded and promptly began walking to where the king had pointed. Kalea saw that he stood still and was waiting for her. "Are you coming, young Kalea?"

_Oh…_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey guys! Thank you for the feedback! Please review ^^  
**

**Also, I'm looking for a beta-reader!**

**Enjoy!**

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The time to choose a life companion was upon Thorin. Not a day went by without his friend and advisor Balín storming in the halls of carved stone and demanding his attention once more.

"My king, you do need to look at the list of suitors for you at least once and disposal." He would often say, just like he did the morning Thorin was having breakfast with his nephews by an old gigantic window that was built in the hard stone of the dining room.

That morning would go rather differently than his usual daily routine of opening letters, attending to his people's needs and go training with his nephews deep in the forests surrounding Erebor. It had been settled between Balín and him that if he was to initiate a series of lessons involving some younglings across his kingdom and purposely placed Friga, the Erebor's finest emerald, in the group. He had to admit she held a rare beauty to her and a well-shaped personality within which, in normal circumstances, would allure him, but it didn't. It had nothing to do with her birth conditions and the fact that her parents were mere fish merchants who ascended thanks to her beloved daughter. She lacked something Thorin appreciated: strength and determination.

Balín's attempts on bringing the two together failed miserably as Thorin would simply sleep through his grasp. After all, he was the king. No one had the right to make him do what he did not wish to do.

His friend approached the lavishing table and sat quietly next to Fíli. Said silence lasted for some minutes in which some stared were exchanged between Thorin and him. He knew Balín was up to something, as usual.

"What is it, my friend?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Thorin, will you look at it?"

The list parchment rested in his weary hands and he placed it on the table as Kíli and Fíli attempted to look at it looking as innocent as possible. "That is quite the list, Mister Balín! I guess our uncle does not see it dearly enough. Then, give it to us. We will make a far better use than him," Kíli then grinned deviously at his brother.

"Kíli, do not play games with me. Those names are not to be repeated by any of you," Thorin warned. He thanked every day that the brothers saw his as a father-like figure and respected and followed his command for that. "That list is to be burnt, Balín."

At this, his friend held an expression of indignity spread across his wrinkled face and even his nose twisted into an odd shape. "This list was organized by me, my king. With all the devotion and attention as if it were destined to me."

Thorin sat back on his stone-cold seat. "I meant no offense, dear friend. I am sure they are quite enjoyable. However, I do need to take some time to think of this."

"You said that a year ago, uncle," Fíli spoke this time with crumbs falling on his yellowish beard. "Remember? When Bilbo last came here. You promised him to find yourself a lady."

The king frowned as that memory came back to mind. "Yes, I see your point."

"Then, if you do, you must know how important this is! Securing the line of Dúrin as your forefathers did before you," Balín half-pleaded, creasing the list in his hands nervously. King advisors before him had managed to get this done without so much time and effort spent. Thorin was too stubborn for his own good.

As usual, this conversation was heading to the point that Thorin lost his patience and exited the premises completely silent. Above all, he hated being scolded as if he was no more than a mere child who had stolen something. He knew his duties as king well and knew that marriage was no longer an option. It was a demand.

"_Fine_," he said, scowling at the three men sitting across the table. "I will look into it later tonight."

By now, Balín held a victorious smile dancing upon his lips. "That is the spirit, my king. Well, I will leave you to your duties now and do not forget about the training at midday."

He simply nodded as the old dwarf left the room.

Kíli and Fíli were looking at him clearly expecting him to say something. He raised a brow. "What is it?"

There was that daft grin back to Kíli's face that annoyed Thorin beyond reason. "Uncle, may we attend at the first training today?"

Of course they would want something like that. Even though the training group had more young boys than girls. They adored tormenting the young ones with some winks and meaningless jokes. Most of the times they would get away with it, but he'd heard some girl had shoved a pine branch down Fíli's head which had caused an immense mess in the market when things started flying through the air in order to bruise the brothers. Thorin never had the chance to reprehend the girl for she had run away which made them take all the blame for all the tomatoes and apples that had been literally destroyed.

"That girl is there, is she not?" He asked almost foreseeing the answer.

Fíli looked at his brother feigning ignorance. "What girl?"

"I know not of what he speaks."

"Likewise, brother."

Thorin rolled his eyes. "Leave the girl be. Do not disturb her again."

"Ah! So she is a part of the group," Kíli cheered, raising from him seat in a blink of an eye. He grabbed Fíli by the arm and dragged him up. "Come, brother."

"Kíli…" Thorin warned threateningly, playing with an apple in his hand. "If I see any of you near the training grounds…"

Both frowned deeply and folded their arms across their chests. Kíli sighed. "But, uncle…"

They were far too juvenile when it came to impediments and almost looked like a child whose candy had been stolen. "If I remember well, today is the day you promised me to train the new recruits."

"It seems no one in this family is keeping the promises they made," Fíli grumbled, not daring to look at his uncle.

Thorin had been in charge of them since his sister Dís died and he promised her to take care of them with his own life. It was not easy at start, but as the years passed, Thorin began adapting himself to his new responsibilities and during the quest for Erebor he had been confronted several times with the possibility that they might be injured or even die. Fortunately, things had turned out for the best.

With that, Thorin merely let his eyes to the work. Kíli knew what that stare meant. "Let's go, Fíli. We also have some training to do."

After that, the morning had pretty much been a bore until midday struck and he was contemplated with the opportunity to easy his tension.

She wasn't a pretty woman, but she would suffice. Her long black hair cascaded down her back and her dark eyes were like an impenetrable mask he couldn't quite figure out.

In fact, he didn't recall seeing her before. Not that he frequently visited taverns, but she seemed new here. Before he could even put more thought into it, she was down on her knees with her silky hands roaming down and down until they reached the hem of his shirt. It had been a while since he had allowed a woman to touch him like this.

His thoughts wandered to the training which was about to start, but the way her hands caressed his abdomen made him put that thought away.

The scene quickly evolved into something more serious and passionate. He'd soon be done with her and make it in time to not be late, but something caught his eye.

Someone.

A girl's face appeared by the window and knew her face was not strange to him. Her almond eyes were what gave her away. She was the daughter of a very dignified noble man and he wondered what she was doing there.

Thorin didn't even feel angry about such impropriety. He acknowledged the armory wasn't the best place to be intimate with someone.

He soon finished and resumed his walk to the training grounds, leaving behind the woman who, apparently, hadn't done her job as good as he thought she would.

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As they approached the forest, the air became more humid and denser than previously. Bird chants had been replaced with howling wind and the croaks of some animals that were a part of the forest's fauna. It was harder to breathe in these conditions or to maintain focus and that was why Thorin was fond of that special place. It prepared better soldiers and made them get used to difficult environmental changes.

The group followed him like a herd follows its shepherd and there was little talk to be heard amongst them.

First impression: all looked scared and intimidated by the fact that they did not know what to expect from this. The age range went from 19 to 24, Thrung, son of Throllar, being the oldest. As for the girls, Friga was there as expected. The other one she did not know and then there was the almond eyed girl whose name was Kalea.

Moments before, she had just caught him in a very intimate situation which he feared she might not be ready for such things. How old was she, anyway?

He noticed she was embarrassed to even look at him without looking somewhere else 2 seconds later. The way she blushed gave her away the moment he saw her.

In comparison with Friga, the girl hadn't much to her. Freckles painted her cheeks and nose which underlined her facial expressions far too much. What made her quite exquisite among his people were her brown almond eyes and pointy noise. That wasn't very common in dwarves and it could make her look like an outsider if not by her height.

She realized he had been staring at her for the last seconds and that faint red returned to her cheeks as she started trotting faster ahead of him.

Maybe he had gone a bit too far.

They halted upon reaching the forest's heart. The sunlight came down on them through the trees' dense foliage and it was quite mesmerizing to look at.

"For a fortnight, our mission will be to learn how to defend ourselves and to always be prepared," he began slowly so everyone could follow. "And why so few of you? I feel like it will be the start of better prepared young adults. We may never know when the enemy is near and for that we need to be one step ahead."

Panic sprawled on their faces. Thrung was apprehensive. "Are we under attack, king Thorin?"

"No, young Thrung," he reassured, though he wondered if they now believed him. "But our treasure is very desired throughout Middle Earth and I would not be surprised if we received some threat. However, at the moment, there is no danger."

They were young adults and Thorin knew the age of ignorance was way past them and that they would be easily suspicious.

Without wanting them to linger on this thought put on a warm smile. "First off, we should try hand-to-hand training. Find a peer as I will demonstrate some of the basic moves. Understood?"

All of them nodded and he called Kalea to be his partner. She approached him slowly, but promptly. Thorin placed his hands on her shoulders to make her turn to face her companions and she did so. "First off we will talk of pressure points. The human body has many different points throughout that can cause a great deal of pain when hit properly. A direct hit on these areas can put a quick end to a fight. There are many of these to aim for: A blow that lands squarely on the forehead with sufficient pressure can knock an assailants head back and cause whiplash," he explained as he let one of his fingers trail up to her forehead. He felt her fidget under his grip. "Hitting the eyes is not only very painful, but it can also temporarily damage the enemy's vision, giving you time to get away."

Thorin reckoned if he was speaking too quickly and paused for a moment. He could not see Kalea's face as she had her back turned to him, but it seemed as if she was trying to keep a certain distance from him. He regained his breath. "Punching the nose can lead to a fracture, bleeding and the end to a fight. Striking the collarbone with sufficient force can break it, thus disabling your attacker completely. A kick to the knee or groin is usually enough to bring an immediate conclusion to any confrontation. Keep these key areas in mind if you find yourself under attack, and strike back quickly, aggressively and with as much force as you can to defend yourself. Also, this is obviously only used when you're dealing with single targets. A burglar, for example."

"We will need some practice to do retaliate as fast as possible, king Thorin," the boy named Dern pointed out with a serious look.

"Indeed. Do not expect to be agile right from the start," he chuckled lightly, making them more at ease. "Now, Kalea. You will try to attack me using one of these techniques."

The young girl turned on her feet to face him and they locked eyes for the second time that day. He could feel she wasn't comfortable with this situation. "If you want, I can call one of your companions to do it with you."

A defiance look crossed her eyes immediately. "No. I can do it."

She flexed her legs a bit and assumed a combat position close to him. He saw her roam her eyes over his body to find the best spot to hit. With one quick blow she kneed his groin.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey guys! Thank you for the feedback! This chapter is rather short, BUT I will be posting again tomorrow or the day after tomorrow (nice movie, though!).  
**

**Anyway, I wanted to share something with you. I have debated this with a friend of mine that also enjoys reading Thorin/OC fics and we both realized people have lost much interest in this. There used to be more people reviewing anf giving feedback. Now, only some people do so. I guess we'll have to wait until the new movie comes out for this to be flooded with more fics again. **

**Gaaah, I just wished this fandom were more alive :p so many good storied have ended and we need mooore!**

**Also, I'm STILL looking for a beta :3  
**

**Enjoy!**

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Kalea's heart went pounding erratically for the third time that day. It was official, she thought. She had definitely crossed the line by 'attacking' the king so ruthlessly and in front of everyone. This particular conviction was brought on by the cutthroat stare in his eyes. The others were merely too shocked to even speak to her.

Upon hitting him, the king immediately let out a loud howl which had definitely been heard throughout Erebor. What was she thinking? In fact, she didn't put much thought into it. Kalea reckoned the groin to be the most sensitive region in a man's body. So why aim for the nose? Or forehead?

Eventually, she just stood aback from the rest of the group while Thrung helped the king who had his knees buried in the ground. Friga had accidently trod on Kalea's foot once or twice on purpose, and then she would just stare at her as if the king was her lover and that Kalea had just hurt her as well.

Ridiculous.

Thorin's face had eased and had a forced smile upon it. "I am fine. Do not worry."

In fact, Kalea should worry. What she did would be considered an act of treason and if any of Erebor's elders were present, they'd advise the king to behead her with no warning.

"My king, maybe we should continue this tomorrow," Friga promptly advised, trying to get closer to him without anyone noticing.

Kalea had, for the most part, managed to avoid incurring Friga's wrath. They had never been close and it was obvious why. In one word: spoiled. That's what she was. Half the bachelors in the kingdom were drooling all over her and the other half attempted something with her. Yes, she was a pretty face even though she was just twenty-one years old.

Right from the beginning Friga had zoned in on her like a vulture circles its prey. Why? Because, since she was now considered the finest Emerald that Erebor had ever seen, she had now the need to diminish every single girl that laid her eyes on his majesty.

Kalea knew the king was looking for a queen. Truth be told, everyone knew and the majority of the noble families had their daughters ready for him. However, people became more and more convinced that Friga would be the chosen one so their hope was pretty much destroyed by now.

The king inhaled deeply as he looked at the group. Everyone agreed with Friga and advised him to go rest as if he had been through a mortal battle and almost lost his life.

"Yes, but tomorrow we will start earlier. At dawn," he informed, signaling them to follow him.

He didn't even look at Kalea and she couldn't help but to feel relieved.

Their journey back was as silent as a tomb with some occasional short conversations swapped by some. Kalea was distancing herself from the group and took the opportunity to examine the beautiful landscape that embraced them. Indeed, Erebor was a gem carved out of the mountains.

Unfortunately, Friga had a better idea than to leave her alone. "You really have no clue. Attacking a king like that…"

Kalea stared at her. "I am sorry, do you even know me? No. So don't even bother reprehending me."

She expected Friga to explode or curse her, but she merely slipped away down the path the king was leading. That was quick.

By now, the training grounds were deserted as it was lunch time and only some occasional guard would appear now and then. The group gathered alongside the familiar railing as Thorin rubbed his hands together with a more even look. "Even though things did not go as planned back there, I do believe we can agree that it was a very instructive moment. Kalea there," he pointed at her, sounding far too well with the whole situation. "did an amazing job at showing to you what is the best spot to hit a man."

Even Kalea didn't see that coming and just glared at him, trying to decipher whether he was being honest or was just making up some excuses to hide his true sentiments about what she had done to him.

No one spoke, but she saw their previously tense faces relieve into a mild smile. Thorin excused everyone and told Kalea he wanted to have a word with her –even though Friga unwillingly left the premises with a murderous gaze.

Kalea watched as the group split as everyone went their own path. The king's eyes were fixed on hers and he started pacing towards her with determined stomps.

"I am sorry, my king!"

She lost it. The way he was looking at her would be enough to kill someone and she decided that apologizing might resolve things.

"What are you sorry for?"

She gulped, bowing her head as a sign of respect. "For my behavior in the forest. It was-"

"I half expected you would apologize for something else."

What?

"Err…" Kalea's eyes danced as she kept her stare fixed on her feet. "About that…"

He came even closer to her and she felt him breathing roughly against her hair. "Well, there is no need to apologize for it. When I was your age I was also a curious young man."

This time, Kalea straightened her head and almost clashed against his chin. "It was not out of curiosity, my king. I was there to remind you of our training. You seemed to have forgotten."

"Mm." A soft disbelieving sound.

After a beat of silence, Thorin put on a more serious look. "However, what you did back there was careless. I am not made of iron even though that would be handy. You did hurt me and you are lucky enough that I do not wish for you to mend what you did."

Kalea was lost in words. The sudden change of humor from his part actually scared her and she felt little compared to him… She did it on an impulse and she admitted she hadn't quite realized who she was dealing with. Apparently, her earlier fears of being beheaded were set aside, but he didn't discard the possibility of her being punished for it.

"I am so sorry, my king," she said, feeling more and more panic building up in her body. Her parents would never forgive her for this. "I truly am."

He eyed her for a split second. "I do believe you. But 'sorry' is what you say when you are playing a game with your friends. I am not your friend and this is not a game."

Alright. This was just weird and totally uncalled for. Kalea remembered her parent's words to keep her mouth shut, but if he kept provoking her like this, she'd have to defend herself. Truly he had the same blood as his impertinent nephews who never knew when to just stop rambling.

"Well, _my king_, if 'sorry' does not suit what I did, then I have nothing to say," she pointed out, folding her arms in defiance.

"You really have a way with your temper," he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

Her eyes darted to the side and then back up. "At least I don't make commitments and then just go off to do _it _in the armory like a desperate man."

Uh-oh. She had one too far and by the look on his face, she would not get away with this. Thorin was just getting on her nerves mostly because he resembled his two nephews whose favorite free-time game was to torment her and some other girls. But she was missing the key: he was king. The king.

The gap between them suddenly felt too short as his heavy breath fanned her face. He put on an angry expression. "If you keep it like this, I will have you beheaded by the end of the day."

"Then do it," she defied. "Let me remind you that I am no peasant. You behead me for stating facts and no one will stand at your side, my king"

Thorin then laughed so loud that it made her jump. "I am the king, you lady. That implies that I must have the devotion from my people even if some do not appreciate me. My orders are to be questioned and you have gone too far on your words."

An outsider might think they were simply discussion on how unstable the weather had been, but it was more than that.

Kalea knew she had crossed the line and she knew her insolence would be her damnation. "Like you said, hitting a man in the groin is _so _much effective. So why hit you in the eyes, for example?"

"Why not kill me, then? That would be the most effective method," he roared, playing her game. "Why don't I do the same to you and then you tell me what is the best solution to our problem?"

"Problem? You are the one making a big deal out of something as insignificant as this, my king!"

"Yes, I am your king! So do respect me, young lady!"

"Go back to the woman you were doing before, alright?!"

Kalea didn't even realize that she was leaning too hard against the railing that her back started complaining when Thorin's body came in contact with hers. For a second, both fell silent merely looking at each other. She was mildly panting from anger as he kept a solemn face.

There she was again letting her mouth screw her up. Why did she have to have such short fuse?

Thorin's mouth lifted into a soft smile, but did not cease the contact between them. "You have a dirty mouth for such a young girl. I reckon you have never been intimate with a man."

What? "What does it have to do with this?"

She tried pushing him off of her, but he had so much strength that she immediately gave up. Whatever he was doing, was making her blush inevitably once more and she considered punching him again.

Thorin raised a calloused hand to her chin and brushed it softly not tearing his eyes from her.

Kalea jolted at his bold touch and pushed him away. "What do you think you are doing? I am not one of those girls you flirt with. I do not care if you are king or not."

With that, she escaped his grasp not even allowing him to protest.

* * *

She had a lot of spirit in her, he admitted to himself. The girl's attitude was arrogant and disrespectful. Now he partially understood why Fíli and Kíli kept complaining about her. Much like a wild animal, she refused being touched or having someone that close to her. Thorin gathered that from the way her body tensed when in contact with his.

He didn't mean anything other than to frighten her, but maybe she thought he wanted something more.

The question was: how badly did he want it?


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter is rather short, but I didn't want to leave you guys feeling like I wasn't coming back. I'm so sorry, but work can be very overwhelming :o anyway, I'll post as soon as I can.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

After that unfortunate encounter with the king, Kalea wasn't even sure if her attitude had been correct. After all, he was a king and she was just some brat who had the good luck of being born within a family with considerate power in the kingdom.

Under ordinary social situations she would often have something to say and always tried to go on the funny side, so she'd earned the reputation of a rude little girl whose parents had no control over. With Kíli and Fíli things were different. They had a sick vice of irritating her and push her patients to the limits, but she knew they didn't think of her as a pointless woman.

The truth was that all three had been friends in the past until…

Kalea didn't even want to remember those past events and merely paced calmly along the road that led to her house.

As expected, her mother was already awaiting her arrival with a menacing expression on her face. "I suppose I should lock you away for some time, Kalea."

Fortunately for Kalea, she was used to her mother's threats and she figured the word of her confrontation with the king. Of course, even though they were supposedly alone back there, there would always be a pair of ears around Erebor.

The girl finally stopped just a few paces away from the woman before her and folded her arms in defiance. "So do lock me away. What have I done this time? Stepped on an herb?"

"It depends on your understanding of the word."

Her mother would seldom talk with irony, but this time it was more than noticeable.

Kalea shifted, tightening her arms across her chest. "As you wish, mother. Is lunch ready?"

"Oh, we have already eaten," she said promptly, her voice sounding amused. "I am afraid we have nothing left for you. You see, we have waited for you to be here in time for lunch, but you preferred falling behind and attack the king!"

The young girl inwardly sighed at that statement. Actually, she was surprised how so peaceful her mother was and reckoned she didn't know half the story. With little more to say, Kalea looked towards the open door behind the woman in the hopes that she took the hint that she wanted to go home already.

"If you want something to eat at dinner, I suggest you fix this mess."

Blackmail usually solved things around here…

"How?" Kalea played dumb, but already guessed the answered.

The woman straightened her yellow dress with a soft stroke of her hands and started attending to her garden. "Apologize."

"I am sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, even though you should," she answered bluntly. Then, shot a firing gaze at her. "But not with that false sense of regret."

Was there a choice? She could resist and kick up a fuss and then here mother would make sure she'd never see the sunlight ever again. The truth was that Kalea was growing tired of these pointless arguments with her parents.

Not waiting for her mother to retort, she paced into her house and fixed something as quick as an apple to entertain her stomach. Footsteps on the wooden floor of her kitchen made her turn her head to see her youngest sister, Niara. The brunette girl picked her way into the room to crouch down beside her, and there she began twirling locks of her soft hair in her fingers. "Father will be absent for some time," she announced, and from the way she spoke it was clear things between her and her mother would get rougher since her father usually defended his daughter. "Mother suggested that you should meet him tomorrow morning after your training and…" She let the implication dangle.

"What?" Kalea asked, chewing on her apple as she leaned on the counter.

Niara was merely sixteen, but she was by far the smartest girl around the house and even the way she spoke was flooded with hints that only a few would understand. A few years ago they suspected that she was anti-social for she would never talk to anyone unless she was in dire need of help. Kalea remembers her mother crying every night telling her father that she would disgrace the family by not being able to find anyone to marry with. Over the years, she started putting her shyness behind and now was as normal as Kalea was. Well…

"She wants you to accompany dad on his business," Niara said dismissively, blowing away a strand of her hair that had fallen on her face. "I mean, it will be better than staying around dealing with mother demanding you to be something you are not."

"So I am just supposed to abandon the training and do as she asks?" Kalea knew her sister was right, but she couldn't summon enthusiasm or gratitude. She was too busy trying to find the right words to throw at her mother's face since she had made her accept this training and was now demanding her to leave as a criminal? Her future as she'd planned it was teetering on the edge of slipping through her fingers if she didn't act any time soon. Even though she had never put much thought on her future, being her father's companion was definitely not part of it.

Kalea threw the bitten apple away as her hunger disappeared. Niara let her head rest on her sister's legs in a gesture of support. "Do not worry, sister. I believe mother has already found a way for you to go with little fuss."

"How?" she was afraid of the answer.

"The king and his nephews will accompany father as an opportunity."

Kalea's heart started pounding uncontrollably for the second or third time that day. "An opportunity for what?"

Niara merely shrugged.


End file.
